Schmudde
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Posts posted by Schmudde
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I remember when Biglots did there last stand as it was mostly atari 7800 and 2600 games but i remember it being 1 to $2 a game that is were i got most of my 7800 collection sadly i missed the KB store launch i did however catch EB electronics boutique shut out sale of jag,and a few other games i got rayman , double dragon v Flashback and zool 2 paid like $5 each for them not so bad that was in 98 i believe.
Same here. That 7800/2600 clearance was just awesome. $1/$2/$3 a game. Huge selection, including the 1990s titles like Alien Brigade.
I also missed the KB/Jaguar liquidation. Too bad! But being a Jaguar owner since 1994, I had a pretty big collection already.
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You really can't talk about the Lynx without discussing the LCD situation. It's the cornerstone of the product.
Jack Tramiel's strategy from typewriters to calculators to computers to the Lynx was always the same - control the cost of a key component and drive the marketplace.
He lays this out in the few interviews he gave on the Commodore 64 and the Atari ST. He was always able to price aggressively because he was always guessing where the market was going. In the mass market, price is everything. With a large enough installed user base, the software will figure itself out. Tramiel had proven that at least twice before.
As long as the display price remained high, the Lynx was screwed. It had no place in Atari Corp's core product strategy. Preeva Tramiel, Leonard's wife, echos this when she responded to my answer to a similar question on Quora.
Tramiel's strategy previously worked with RAM and microprocessors, but unfortunately didn't work with the LCD.
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You also have to wonder what if any market research indicated launching with 3 shooters and a puzzle game was the way to go when, street fighter 2, mortal kombat, sports games, and then racing games was all anyone cares about...they could read any one of the 10 mainstream video game magazines at the time, if they didn't feel spending money on market research was worth it
Atari Corp. publicly justified the 16-bit ports as a way to cover all their genre bases. They definitely talked about the importance of diversity in their library.
However, in reality, the Jaguar is really shooter-heavy. From Cybermorph to Hover Strike to Iron Soldier to Battlemorph to I-War to Phase Zero to Air Cars they certainly had the low-altitude vehicle shooter genre covered.
Specifically regarding the launch lineup - it's pretty clear that they were just working with the titles that had momentum to beat the '93 Christmas season. They knew that Alien Vs. Predator, Kasumi Ninja, and
Redline RacingCheckered Flag IICheckered Flag had to get on the shelves ASAP to really move systems. We all know how that went./ü
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mmh I guess I might sell some of my Jaguar stuff one day, might be worth some bucks...
(oh and by the way, you can download the rom of this cartridge for free on my website http://onorisoft.free.fr/jag/jag.htmcd version available too)
There is a strong argument for the fundamental irrationality of markets here, so I'll take the role of a bullish television pundit and suggest you hold onto that collection. If the current trends hold steady, the valuation of that collection will increase so much that you'll be able to trade it in for a new car in 4 years or a new house in 7 years.
I'm mostly kidding, but it really is astonishing to see the value of readily-available software skyrocket like this.
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Keep an eye out for Impulse X on cartridge. It's the perfect game to squeeze in if you only have 15-20 minutes to spare here and there.
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Power Drive Rally!
New Jag Bar is a great way to start the weekend.
I've had the Jaguar since 1994. There are a few games that I've always wanted but never got. This is one of them.
I probably would have finally picked it up in 2015 but I got JHL '95, then Alice's Mom's Rescue, and finally Another World. Too many new releases. Just can't keep up!
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Shinto,
There is no way we should leave that easter egg at the end of your Kasumi Ninja podcast so well hidden. Any chance of posting that separately? It's really hilarious and well done.
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I'll join in on the fun. I'd like to be added to the list. Still love Xevious on the Atari 7800. The Jaguar version is sure to be sweet.
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Please add me to the removal list.
I know I haven't asked to be on the list, but I would like to be on the removal list as well, just in case I get on the other list in the future.
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Jetboot Jack would be the person who might be able to go into just what kind of courting Atari UK did with Microprose:
"At Microprose UK we ported one of our Genesis games, "Tin Head" a platformer, to the 68K in the Jag in a couple of weeks - obviously it looked, sounded and played just like the Gensis game...."
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/3862-how-hard-is-it-to-make-jag-games/?hl=tinhead
I did make a half-baked attempt months ago, to look into Press Claims Microprose had signed up to convert Gunship 2000 to the Jaguar, got as far as a P.R person for one of the released versions, passing my request and details onto him, to see if he knew of any plans, but he never replied, i never bothered looking any further, as vast majprity of UK Mag claims that were made, never hold water, when you actually 'speak' to the developers themselves.
Ahhh, thanks for digging this out.
Now that you mention it, I think I remember Gunship 2000 in those inaccurate 'games in development' lists in the 90s. Gunship was such a great game. Although it was already a year or two old by the time the Jaguar came out, sims like that just didn't translate well to home systems before the Jag.
I'm not arguing that this is the strategy that Atari should have taken. But the number pad suggests a unique route. When you think of what makes the Lynx library so great, a mix of originals and killer Atari Games arcade ports, the Jaguar might have had a stronger library with a little more vision and focus.
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Watched a playthough and just discovered that you can "pause" and change weapon in pause, and that suddenly made this game much more beatable, and "pause" a killer button in a game. <<< Try it out if you didn't know this.
This is a really important tip with this game and I think it says something a bit problematic about Atari's intention with the number pad in general.
I like the idea of the number pad. It made the Jaguar a great platform to receive killer PC conversions. Doom and Syndicate both benefit from the number pad, for example.
However, there isn't any evidence that this was Atari's mindset. There isn't any evidence they were out there courting MicroProse or Sierra.
McFur shows the problem with the number pad. It just doesn't work in action and arcade games. McFur has a ton of power ups, taking full advantage of the number pad. But if you really want to be precise, pausing the game and selecting the weapons is really the way to go. I have to imagine that the number pad influenced the design of McFur and that's why the powerup and weapon system is so different than other shooters.
I imagine that Atari was just putting the cart before the horse with the number pad, unless others have more insight into this.
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Let people like what they like. This thread has a wine snobbery feel to it at times.
I agree, let people who like what they like. Please keep in mind, the thread is called "What's wrong with Trevor Mcfur and the Crescent Galaxy? !?!?" by a person who likes the game. In this case, they were asking for objective observations.
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I like that the Jaguar is top shelf. Gotta elevate it above those lame 16-bit consoles.
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I just wished that either game had a more complex scoring system that rewarded multiple break bricks between instances of paddle contact. So if you get a ball behind the play field and it smashes 15 bricks before it comes back down to your paddle, the later bricks would be worth more. It just leads to more interesting scores.
Or in Impulse X, you can only break an unbreakable brick with the magic ball. It would be nice if those were worth much more. Again, you get more interesting scores that way.
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It's worth noting that McFur is currently leading in the polls as the worst launch title in the rather dismal Jaguar launch lineup.
Even in that context it's not exactly a fan favorite.
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Hell yeah!!
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-leader-board-pro-golf-simulator_9803.html
Looks great. Would be my dream to play 18 holes on the Jaguar! Pretty please?
I'm down, but you really gotta support the Jaguar number pad on this one. Having quick access to the correct club is critical in a fast-paced game like golf.
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I rarely read the forums here on Atari Age so I miss many announcements on new releases. I was lucky enough to pick up Another World on the 2nd run of carts. NHL15 and others in the past couple of years I never heard about. If a new release is not on the front of the Atari Age home page I will miss it.
This is an interesting point... the main page is updated rarely and I feel like a ~50+ cartridge run of a new game on any of the Atari systems would be main-page worthy. In the last year I bought JHL, Alice's Mom's Rescue, and Another World -- all legitimate runs and really fun games.
Also, I'd assume that such a release would indexed higher by search engines and thus easier for an unassuming buyer to research. But that may not be true due to the laziness and seemingly infinite disposable income of many of these bidders.
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Impulse X is probably the most versatile breakout game for the Jaguar (with rotary, jagpad, and mouse support). It is quite good, just haven't gotten past the space invader level or that learning curve yet.
Impulse X is indeed a difficult game but that Space Invader level (level 6, I believe) has a trick. Always shoot your ball up the right side. You're trying to break into the colored brick just next to the right eye. There is always a Magic powerup in that brick. Once you get that, it'll easily cut through all the blocks on the screen.
The only problem I have with this level is that the color of the magic ball blends in with the background of the level itself. A little unfair and unfortunate, IMHO.
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I'm a big fan of Arkanoid so when I got Breakout 2000 and found that it had gifts and other weapons like Arkanoid I was very happy. Like some Jaguar games it tends to bog itself down with great graphics slowing down the gameplay. At one time I tried to make a rocker controller to switch from left to right to simulate the rotary effect.
The Breakout 2000 Source has been released by Curt Vendel and the rotary could be added by some programmer. Not being so much a programmer yet I tried the hardware solution with the rocker (two way) switch.
Arkanoid II ST port for the Jaguar is listed as incomplete and with spinners only. Was fun to play for a bit but incomplete.
Impulse X is probably the most versatile breakout game for the Jaguar (with rotary, jagpad, and mouse support). It is quite good, just haven't gotten past the space invader level or that learning curve yet.
And the Breakout list would not be complete without the cute breakout hidden game in Rayman. For the longest time that was the only Breakout I had on the Jaguar.
Good points/list. If we're making a full list, I suppose you would need to include the dreadful Breakout game in Zool 2 as well. It's pretty sluggish.
I may start a thread comparing these soon. I'm curious what others think. I agree with your points on Impulse X. I think it's a more complete game, but the learning curve is pretty heavy, and Breakout 2000 has a few fun innovations - the most important of which is the 2 player mode.
They are a both must-haves, IMHO.
/Schmüdde
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The Jaguar's launch lineup is widely panned and the system arguably didn't have a must-have game until Tempest 2000. In that period, please rank the best titles. It's quite subjective. I have always appreciated gameplay, so I always felt that Raiden was a better title than Trever McFur, even though the latter looked more "next-gen" in still photographs. However, those looking for a next-gen experience in the early 1990s immediately felt that Dino Dudes and Raiden were pretty underwhelming.
What do you think? Rank away and comment!
/Schmüdde
A quick note on the selection of titles: I know that Raiden and Dino Dudes weren't available the day of the Jaguar's launch, but I still think these two qualify as "launch titles" as they were available when the Jaguar went nationwide.
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Let's put aside the obvious glaring faults such as the lack of game play music and the rushed preproduction title screen keyboard music. So far the ONLY thing I see wrong with this game is the developers not giving it that polished feeling with good music. Otherwise. ...This is a damn good shooter.
I watch numerous videos of players attempting to trash this game. The majority of the videos the gamers are actually surprised at how fun it is and they admit they were just going off on the games notorious reputation. The graphics are stellar for the time. The bosses looked absolutely fantastic and not to mention the content. This isn't exactly a short game. Each planet has its own Astroid pre level with its own unique boss, then you actually play the planet and it's unique boss. So far that's a total of 10 bosses out of 5 planets and 10 separate levels. There is a plethora of power ups and shields to help with the increasing difficulty. Not to mention for a game that is notorious for having a glaring weakness in the the sound department. ...IT HAS FANTASTIC SOUND FX! From the exploding blobs to the gadgety cyber scorpions the sounds are fun. At times I'm pretty sure music would've hidden these sounds. The characters spout crazy and corny cat puns that are acceptable for this time period. The game all and all is a fun installment for the Jaguar. So what's wrong with it again?
I have to agree with Bill. It seems that the developers lacked a nuanced understanding of what makes a good shooter. Developing a genre game is difficult.
The game has a bit of a "kitchen sink" experience for me. They put everything in there that should make a good shooter (outside of music) but failed to execute any single part exceptionally. The greatest feature of the game are the level boss graphics. They look awesome on the box art. However, I don't think the animation on these bosses are exceptional and it degrades the impact they make when actually seeing them in the game.
So I turn the question back around - do you think that there is any one aspect of the game that is absolutely exceptional? Head and shoulders above other shooters from the early 90s? You cited the sound effects. It's hard for me to rate this above the sound effects of TG-16 shooters or R-Type. There is little variety in enemy explosions. The power up sounds don't sound powerful, etc...
I think calling it an unexceptional game is a pretty fair analysis. I can accept that you feel it's "damn good" but certainly it isn't *great* or *excellent* and qualifies as my least favorite launch title, behind Cybermorph, Raiden, and Dino Dudes. That's already a pretty weak launch lineup... and to be dead last is pretty sad.
/Schmüdde
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I’m an American from the Midwest but I grew up listening to a lot of British and German electronic music, so I might be able to provide some insights.
6. Constructive Demolition
“Bring the Beat Back”
Like Videodrome's “Television is the Retina” sample, this sample is likely a riff off of The KLF’s song Justified & Ancient (1991). Here is the link to the sample, “Bring the Beat Back,” cued up at 1m34s.
It’s an amazing song that might seem like an unlikely influence but also listen to Constructive Demolition back-to-back with this KLF tune, What Time Is Love?, and spot the influence:
KLF is a pioneer of trance music, something that Jeff Minter is known to like. If you want more evidence, here is Jeff Minter using the “Mu Mu” sample straight from What Time Is Love? (starts at about 0:47) in his game Space Giraffe.
7. Future Tense
Robot voice, jungle musicThis track is very reminiscent of German techno outfit Snap!’s 1992 track The Ex-Terminator, straight down to the robot voice.
Future Tense’s robot voice: https://youtu.be/c9XCsrAHlCo?t=51s
The Ex-Terminator: https://youtu.be/myFu0jtXcd8?t=24s
Ex-terminator will build into a lot of the elements you hear on the T2K soundtrack.
This album was a pop and electronic chart-topper in the UK around the time T2K was being made.
2. Mind's EyeVideodrome
This might be more trivia than a direct influence, but Front 242’s underground masterpiece Masterhit (1987) was the first song to sample Videodrome. You’ll hear it 20 seconds in, “You Know Me…”
Videodrome subsequently became a very popular film to sample because of its techno-dystopian overtones.
Still, if you listen to Masterhit, it isn’t a huge stretch to get to the T2K soundtrack:
Enjoy the music!
~ü
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Nice! Still need to get Impulse X, and can't wait! That, Hyper Force, Breakout 2000, and Missile Command 3D are all on my late-release radar.
Yeah Impulse X + Breakout 2000 are different enough even though they're in the same family. Sort of like Protector and Defender - you'll definitely want both.
Plus the two player game in Breakout 2K is way fun.
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To be fair, that was more a statement of fact based on observation than negativity in and of itself. I tend to agree, even though it's probably been overblown and mythologised over the years. From usenet (anyone remember Sinclap?), to Jaguar Interactive (apparently I insulted someone enough over there to get called out on Mad Bodies...wtf?!?) to everywhere else, it's always been a...laugh to say the least
Hah. Not only do I remember Sinclip, I actually found the guy on Facebook a couple of years back and got a hold of him to see if he still had a deep, passionate hatred of Atari. I suppose I was giving the guy a slight bit of trolling but he responded cordially and seems to have moved on in his life.
I didn't ask him what he does with his newfound free time but I wasn't that curious.
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I like a lot of what you're saying in theory, but it would have been pretty difficult for Atari to put all this together. I've also read some rumblings about Falcon/Jaguar developments, but I haven't seen them in primary sources, so I'm a little skeptical.
The precedence for this is the Panther/ATW800 Transputer/Blossom video card. I think that development has been substantiated as a real endeavor. Falcon/Jaguar might have been little more than an idea floated onto the marketplace to help bolster the platform's interest. This is a known tactic of Jack's and one that Sam Tramiel used quite often.
Great analysis of the Falcon and the TT overall. They were neat machines but really indicative of Atari Corps problem at the time: they lost too much ground on their core position and tried to make it up on the product execution side - Falcon/DSP, TT/workstation, Portfolio/portable, Lynx/color gaming. That's a diffused lineup that would be difficult for a large computing company to execute at a high level, let alone a small one like Atari Corp. It's impressive that they did as well as they did.
The Jaguar was going back to the basics: clean up the product lineup and present a clear technology/price advantage. I've read a lot of people say that hyping the "64-bit" aspect of the Jaguar was a mistake because it set unrealistic expectations, but I couldn't disagree more. They had very few other options and the messaging got them to stick out in an extremely crowded marketplace.
Think about what else came out in the "5th generation" - Apple/Bandai Pipin, FM Towns Marty, Amiga CD32, 32x/Neptune, PC-FX, Philips CD-i, JVC X'Eye, Panasonic/Sanyo/Goldstar 3DO... and those are just the "failures" many of which were made by companies with a tremendous resource advantage over Atari. The packaging and the marketing arguably got Jaguar a higher visibility than it deserved.
The mistake was on the software side. Alien vs. Predator, Checkered Flag, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Kasumi Ninja had to be killer titles and Atari Corp didn't have the relationships to ensure this.
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